The Hanging Tree
by bandgeek18
Summary: Are you...are you...comin to the tree? Where two rangers hang, for their friends to see. Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it be. If we met...at mid...night-in The Hanging Tree. One-shot.


Disclaimer: I don't own the power rangers

_*Italic indicates thought_

A/N: Hey guys! So this is just a little thing I thought of a coupe months ago. The song, somehting else I don't own, is from Mockingjay pt1. Hope you like it.

_Are you...are you...comin' to the tree?_

_Where they strung up a man...they say who murdered three_

_Strange things did happen here no stranger would it be..._

_If we met...at mid...night-in the hanging tree..._

Out of all the things that could've possibly gone wrong, Troy considered getting captured to be a pretty bad one. It would've been preferable to remain victorious against the Armada. Even dying in battle for his planet. But no, here he sat in a cell with his hands tied behind him. He thought of his friends back on Earth. The others must be fighting with all they had. Did they know that their red and silver rangers had been captured? That the mission to take down Emperor Marvo had failed? Probably not.

The red ranger lifted his head and looked across at the other cell. Orion was staring at the ceiling like he was seeing something important. His bruised face was sad as he gazed at the metal roof. The red ranger wished more than anything he could find a way to free Orion. His heart broke to see someone he cared so much for in such a hopeless situation. Orion took another deep breath, then sighed low and long. Troy looked away, unab,le to stand the pain he'd caused his friend any longer. It wasn't exactly his fault though. They'd had no way of knowing that Mavro was so well guarded. Or that fighting in close combat on a spaceship would prove to be a severe disadvantage.

Troy rested his head against the metal wall sadly. I_ wish I could save Orion. Please, if someone is coming...save him._

-The Hanging Tree-

The four rangers sat back on Earth with their minds racing. The armada had suddenly stopped sending troops down hours ago. But Troy and Orion hadn't returned. And no ships had blown up. Noah sighed in frustration and closed his morpher. "I still can't get ahold of them."

"Maybe they got lost or something," Jake supplied hopefully.

"If that was the case I think they'd still be able to contact us," Gia said. "And that still wouldn't explain why the armada suddenly stopped sending monsters!"

"I have a bad feeling about this," Emma sighed, resting her head on her arms. "I have a really bad feeling."

"You're telling me," Noah agreed.

There was a small flash in the sky and suddenly they could see Emperor Mavro's face on a giant, holographic screen. The four rangers jumped to their feet and ran towards it. People crowded behind them, but no one dared get more than a few yards close to it.

"People of this planet!" Mavro boomed. "I have captured the red and silver rangers."

There was murmuring behind and them and Emma gasped. "Oh no!" she hissed, grabbing Noah's arm.

"No," Jake whispered, shaking his head.

"Due to their silly little part in this planet's resistance, I have order they be executed for their crimes," Mavro continued,

"Executed?" Noah asked in disbelief.

"Today, at sundown. These two will be hung from a tree near the spot where the killed my son and heir, Vekar. Should the other rangers be watching this, know that any attempts to save them will result in their brutal and immediate death."

The screen disappeared and people started talking loudly. The four rangers stood in shock as they tried to process what was happening. Jake and Noah took advantage of the temporary panic to pull the the girls away from the crowd. The four of them found a hidden place away from everyone. "Troy and Orion!" Emma said. "They're-they're-"

"This isn't good," Noah agreed. "We have to do something."

"What?!" Jake demanded. "You heard that guy! We try and rescue them and something bad will happen!"

"They'll die anyways if we don't try!" Gia snapped. "Troy and Orion are our friends! We have to save them!"

"And what if he does this publicly?!" Noah asked. "Troy and Orion's identities might get revealed. And ours!"

"What're we going to do?" Emma asked.

Jake shook his head. "I don't know. I just don't know."

_Are you...are you...comin' to the tree?_

_Where a dead man called out...for his love to flee._

_Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it be._

_If we met...at mid...night-in the hanging tree._

Bruisers kept their crushing grip on Troy as he and Orion were led down the sloping path. He sighed as he kicked at a stray rock on the path. He looked ahead and saw the tree. It looked just like an ordinary tree. Except that in only a few hours he knew it would be the place of his and Orion's executions. _Orion. _He felt a tug on his heart when he thought about how he'd led his friend to his death. _No! I'll get him out of this. Even if I die, I have to save him._ He readied himself and suddenly doubled-over, almost hitting the ground. The bruisers slackened their grip in surprise and Troy jerked away. The ones holding Orion loosened their grip in shock.

The silver ranger jumped back, breaking away from them. The bruisers around Troy grabbed at him and he kicked at them. He wasn't able to do a lot with his hands tied, but he was determined to do what he could. Orion looked back and saw the red ranger was being subdued.

"Orion! Run!" Tory yelled. "Go! Run!"

Orion hesitated, then ran back to help him. Consequently, the bruisers managed to grab him and got both him and Troy back in control. They led the two re-captured rangers onwards down the path. Troy was mentally berating himself again. _I wish could save him. What kind of red ranger am I if I can't even save the person I love? _He sighed inwardly. He'd been dancing around the idea for weeks now. _I love Orion. Why can't I save him?! _He tried to keep his face neutral as they were ,arched onwards to their deaths.

_Are you...are you...comin to the tree_

_Where I told you to run...so we'd both be free_

_Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it be_

_If we met...at mid...night-in the hanging tree..._

They were sat down on the ground and kept under heavy guard as a few bruisers threw ropes over a strong branch. Troy looked up at the branch as the aliens started tying the ropes into nooses on one end. He sighed and looked over at Orion. His friend was staring out pensively. "Hey."

Orion looked at him. "Hey."

"What're you thinking about?"

"Oh nothing. Just that at least I'll see my family again."

Troy nodded, throat getting smaller. "At least you have that." He glanced at the ground and sighed. "You should've run Orion."

The silver ranger frowned. "I wouldn't have done that. I can't leave you-"

"Well I can't loose you!" Troy snapped. He sighed. They were going to be dead soon; what use would it be to deny it now? "I love you."

"You...what?"

"I love you." Troy looked him in the eyes with all sincerity. "I can't sans the idea that you're going to die because of me. I would've died feeling...free if I'd known you got away."

Orion looked at him sadly. "Troy, I don't know how love works on this planet. And after I almost married Emma, I'm a little scared to know. But in Andresia, loving someone means standing by them. Love...is a promise. I love you so much. You're without a brought the most amazing person I've ever met. But I could never you leave you, especially now. I love you too much to let you die alone."

Troy smiled a little, momentarily forgetting his current predicament. "I'm glad. That you love me too I mean. I could never be happy you're going to die."

Orion glanced around, then leaned in towards Troy. His lips just barely touched the red ranger's when bruisers suddenly pulled them apart. They looked over and saw Emperor Mavro smiling at them. "It's execution time, Rangers."

Troy caught Orion's eye for a split second as they were dragged to their feet. He gave his silver ranger a solemn nod. Time was up.

_Are you...are you...comin to the tree?_

_Wear a necklace made hope side-by-side with me?_

_Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it be_

_If we met...at mid...night-in the hanging tree_

The other Megaforce rangers were hiding behind large boulders in the area. They peeked over their rocks at the scene befriend them. They saw Troy and Orion being lead over to the tree. Emma gasped when she saw the two nooses. "Guys..."

"We know," Noah told her gently. He held her hand gently in his and she squeezed it. Unknown to them, they were not the only ones coming out to see the execution. Hidden all around them, former rangers were watching the events below them in the small valley unfold. They'd all wanted to help, but at this point it seemed like no help could be made. The two teens were too well guarded to get them away from their captors. Shooting blasters might mean they get fight in the cross-fire as well. And an all out assault would definitely result in the immediate death of the two rangers.

Troy stepped up and stood on a crate that some bruisers had placed on the ground. He looked over at Orion who as the nooses were tightened around their necks. Orion gave him one more solemn nod before turning forward with an emotionless face. Emperor Mavro walked in front of them and smirked. "Any last words, Rangers?"

Tory raised his head proudly. "Just this: our friends will keep fighting even if we're gone. The people of Earth will never give up. They will always have hope. Our deaths will inspire people to fight you. They must. Our planet will never give in."

"How touching," Mavro sneered sarcastically. He nodded to the bruisers.

Emma and Gia shrieked a little as Troy and Orion had their crates taken out from under them. They were up high enough that as the ropes stopped their fall it snapped their necks. All four Megaforce rangers flinched as they heard the crack. They ducked down as they all resisted the urge to break down in tears. They heard the aliens cheering about victory. Emma's fave suddenly became hard as she remembered Troy's last words. She stood up slowly, revealing herself to Mavro and his troops "Are you...are you...comin to the tree? Where I told you to run...so we'd both be free. Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it be. If we met...at mid...night-in the hanging tree."

The other Megaforce Rangers stood up one-by-one and joined her. "Are you...are you...comin to the tree? Where they strung up a man they say who murdered three. Stranger things did happen here no stranger would it be. If we met...at mid...night-in the hanging tree."

They had Mavro's attention now. But it wasn't just them. All around them ranger teams were standing up and joining them were every word.

"Are you...are you...comin to the tree? Where a dead...man called-out for his love to flee. Strange things did happen here no stranger would it be. If we met, at mid-night in the hanging tree."

Mavro watched as all the power rangers, over a hundred of them raised their morphers in unison as the song ended. There was only one thing on their minds. He'd killed two of their own. Troy was right. They wouldn't give up. He was going down.


End file.
